Remaining ashes
by Sasaki Jun'ichi
Summary: A story on Akasuna Sasori, back when he was about to leave the hidden village of the sand pre Akatsuki. A small piece of insight on a man who used to be a puppet of his own faith.


**Remaining Ashes**

_Disclaimer:_ The character are all taken or based upon characters created by **Kishimoto Masashi **from the series** "Naruto"**. Any authentic character (like Pisha) is created by **Junichi Zeiram** (A.K.A **Jian Yu**). "Remaining Ashes" is a fic based upon the Akatsuki member Akasuna Sasori and contains multiple chapters.

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**Chapter 1: Through the desert.**

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Although this wasn't the first time that Pisha had been send out towards an unknown destination, this time he completely felt different.

In the red glow of the twilight sun, which even so late in the evening provided a fair amount of heat, hey and his former sensei walked through the outposts of the red desert.

Wherever his eye would look, and how hard he tried, all that Pisha saw was the big empty space of the red desert laying before him and his sensei, Yuura.

The dry dust from the ground was softly blown up into the hot air, every time both man lifted their feet, and Pisha now noticed tiny sweat drops all over his body.

It was late June, and the summer had come early. With that the temperature had been rising to 34 degrees in the shadow. In the upcoming dusk, the light that came down was crimson red as both men crossed the desert on foot. Special jounin Yuura and his last student Pisha, who just recently became a chuunin, both where heavily dressed even though the desert was steaming hot. Yuura had prepared Pisha for this mission with some heavy gear, and explained to the young chuunin why it was of great importance that they where so heavily dressed.

"It's quiet simple, since we are going in the late afternoon, I have estimated that we will arrive quiet late at our destination, and although the deserts are extremely hot during the day, at night they are more colder than the mountain passes of the thunder country." Yuura explained while packing up. Pisha didn't say anything but just nodded his head. He still felt a little taken away by the last chuunin exam where he had managed to become a chuunin at his young age of 14. Already at his academy entering Pisha had been fascinated by the brilliant use of the village's puppet masters, and he had decided himself, after his father was killed in the war between the hidden sand and the hidden rock, to join the academy so he may avenge his fathers death as well a aid his village for the good cause.

It only took him 2 years to finish the academy and at the age of 11 he became a genin, together with 2 of his former student friends, and where assigned to special jounin, Yuura, who took on the job as there team commander and teacher. Together with Miroyuki and Daisuke, Pisha and their Sensei where studied hard and long for almost 3 years and recently took on the chuunin exam.

They came far,… very far indeed, however in the last round it was Pisha who passed the chuunin exam with his skilled puppet jutsu system, and rather than killing his opponent, he trapped him, in a way which made Pisha master of the situation. The judges as well as Kazekage found that it was a good tactic since when you need to question or imprison people you simply can not just kill them. Unfortunately Miroyuki lost his match and had to be hospitalized. Pisha was sure he would be breathing on an iron lung for the rest of his life, since a certain Shinobi from the hidden Cloud had crushed his chest, squeezing his organs together with some kind of special Fuuton: wind elemental technique. And Daisuke even got himself killed trying to give his best. The fool was determined to win his battle, and even when it was clear that he couldn't win anymore, and Pisha would have given up in that kind of situation, Daisuke decided differently. Only Pisha came out, not only alive but also as a chuunin, and he felt he had deserved it.

"_I have dedicated my life for the art of puppet ninjutsu, I have put my life on the line to get taken in by the great army of puppeteers", _Pisha thought.

"_And today finally is the day, that I will meet the great general of the sands puppet army…"_

Yes, finally the day had come, that Pisha was chosen out to become a member of the puppeteer army, with its leading man, one of the great artist, grandson of the female part of the veteran sand twins: Akasuna Sasori.

Pisha only heard rumors, and since Sasori was known for the fact that he didn't spend much time among the public

"Yuura-Sensei" Pisha said after a while.

Yuura didn't stop but walked on saying nothing, and Pisha knew that this was his way of waiting for the question that would have to follow, and depending on Yuura's mood, we was either going to answer or keep silent.

"Yuura-Sensei" Pisha said once more and followed up with: "You didn't give any details about this mission, and no other information, none what so ever, and the truth is I am quiet anxious to hear the exact purpose of this meeting with Sasori-danna."

Yuura didn't look back while his feet still stepped symmetric one after another, but simply said: "To conduct an experiment, Pisha and to see if you a worthy to join Sasori-sama"

With that having said, Yuura-sensei once again fell into a silent daze from which he didn't return.

_He somehow seems nervous_ Pisha thought, _although he hides it well I can say it almost for sure that something is bothering him…_

And while Pisha got worried more and more about the mysteries of this mission The sun was shining it's last glowing heat on the burning red sand, before it drowned in its own red color, behind the hills.

The night sky had a peaceful black tint to it, and soon the cool air breezed away over the dusty hills, a cold feeling grabbed Pisha by his spine and wouldn't leave. Although the dark of night after the twilight already had made it's way through the endless sky, and several stars already where glowing so bright in it, it still had a light shade of red in it. By this time around it was so quiet you could hear a needle fall in the desert outposts.

Having walked for quiet a while, Pisha began to feel his feet, and hat to bite through the blisters that where opening right now underneath his feet.

Suddenly Yuura stopped and looked over to his right side. He did it so sudden that Pisha almost bumped into him from behind.

"Yuura-sensei, why did…?" Pisha began, but Yuura made a hand signal to shush him.

"We have arrived"

Yuura spoke with a rather scary voice, and listening to his breath which increased the moment he had gazed upon something in the desert, Pisha tried to make out what it was his teacher was seeing.

However he didn't get the time for that, because Yuura made huge jump steps into the direction he had just looked into, and without a word or question Pisha followed him, until he could make out a figure, sitting on chest.

Pisha held on to his heart, since he knew who it was they where going to meet, and without a doubt in his mind, as they came closer and closer, the person who was sitting on the chest in the middle in the desert was no one other than the puppet general Akasuna no Sasori himself.

Yuura made his way towards Sasori only to make sharp stop and then bow down, and Pisha did the same thing.

"Sasori-sama, we…" Yuura began to speak, but without a word Sasori raised a hand, telling Yuura to be quiet.

It surprised Pisha how young Sasori looked. _He certainly can't be much older then me,_ he thought. He had auburn red hair, standing out from his scalp, big boyish eyes, which had dark edges around him, he was small and slender built, and whore simple black pants which got to his ankles. Apart from a coat and scarf on which he was sitting upon this huge chest he only had a short sleeved brown/red shirt which was hanging very loosely around his shoulders.

Despite his young and rather boyish appearance he had some kind of aura hanging around him, which was rather hostile, or so, Pisha thought.

_Certainly, although he looks younger then me, and despite his reputation, I still would look out for him._

What got through Pisha the most however wasn't how Sasori looked, now it was the ice cold look he had in his eyes while looking down on them. A cold glance, with a little mixture of malice in them.

_The eyes of a hungry cat, who is about to kill a little bird. _Pisha shivered

Finally Sasori made an attempt to speak: "Yuura, you are late"

"Sasori-sama I apologize for…" Yuura began again, only to get interrupted once more by Sasori: "You know how I hate it to be kept waiting…………."

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To be continued:

Chapter 2 will soon follow

Title: **Chapter 2: In the eye of the storm**


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